Bumps and Bruised Egos
by Georgia Laurel
Summary: The Diagnostics office has their hands full with new cases since Foreman's exposure to Nagleria, but Cameron has some health issues of her own. Who will she turn to for help and who will she decide to leave out of the loop?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own House or any of the established characters, but a girl can dream.**

**Authors Note: **** This is a story I started a long time ago. It's clearly more Cameron/House centered than the one I've currently been writing. This one isn't finished, but I thought it might tide some readers over while they wait patiently for a Cameron/House connection in my other story. Hope you like it. Please review if you can, it really makes my day. **

The office was strangely still as Allison eased herself gently into her desk chair. They had been busy this week, last week too. Three new cases in and it wasn't even Thursday yet. Foreman was still only working part time since his exposure to Nagleria and Cuddy had not totally cleared him for clinic duty yet, so the brunt of the work was falling on Cameron and Chase.

She sighed as she surveyed her desk. The mail loomed in front of her in a semi -organized stack and she eyed her notebook where several phone messages from yesterday had been quickly scribbled down. She giggled softly to herself as her eyes fell over the words 'Chase- Hair Stylist Called' hugely written across several inches of paper in House's handwriting. As the smile faded from her lips, she realized it would be a while before she would be able to get to those messages.

She fumbled for her eyeglass case and slipped on her glasses. Her eyes felt tired and a bit dry, but she gave them a quick blink and went to work. Returning the phone calls went quickly. "Thank God for answering machines", she thought.

She took in a long breath and exhaled slowly as she picked up the first referral letter. Her eyes quickly scanned over the polite greeting from the hopeful patient's family physician. Fifty-five year old man with muscle fatigue, dizziness, weight loss and chronic back and shoulder pain. Otherwise, in good health all his life it seemed. Three previous doctors had yet been able to find a treatment that relieved him of his symptoms.

Tapping her fingers along the arm of the chair while she debated tossing the letter in the 'maybe' file, her left hand moved absentmindedly up from the letter and across to her right breast.

"Still there", she thought. Each lump pronounced enough to where she could feel their rounded shapes through her bra and thin weight of her cotton blouse.

She dropped her hand and quickly flipped open her date book. Had it really been almost two months since she had first noticed them? She couldn't help but think how weird it was- the line between being a doctor and worried patient all at the same time.

She knew immediately that the lumps were suspicious. But, she also knew that she'd need to wait another cycle before she jumped from concern to panic. "Right, Allison. Easier said than done", she sighed and went back to her work.

Four floors down, House shifted his stiff right leg for what seemed like the tenth time. Even with the amazing way Cuddy's breasts looked in her thin floral blouse it couldn't take his mind off the fact that he was now trapped in a never ending administrative meeting from hell. "Wouldn't you agree, Doctor House"? Cuddy's voiced trailed off as she waited for his response. "House!" she bellowed.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about last night", as his eyes rose up mischievously to make his tanned forehand wrinkle ever so slightly. "What do say we kick everyone out and have another go at Headmistress and naughty schoolboy?" His acerbic sense of humor fell on deaf ears and one slightly annoyed Cuddy. "House, get out. If you can't contribute like an adult for five minutes, I don't need you". "Go play with your yo-yo or whatever it is you do to make everyone think you're deep in thought".

"Great! Don't have to ask me twice- well, except for last night, right Mistress?" he shot back rapping his cane several times with playfulness on the inside of his right palm. He rose amazingly fast out of his chair for someone so uncomfortable just five seconds before. Leaning in over Cuddy's desk, he gave her one last appreciative glance down at her cleavage before she kicked out her chair and stood to meet his gaze. "And, since you'll have some newfound free time on your hands", she volleyed back with a tone that indicated she was about to win this match, "you can give two more clinic hours before tomorrow afternoon" she smiled back victoriously.

Undeterred, House gazed over to Wilson who managed a vague smile, unwilling to commit too much to it least he also incur Cuddy's wrath.

"Lucky bastard", Wilson thought to himself and returned his focus to Cuddy who had gone on talking about the budget as if House had already been long gone.

Allison had made her way through more than half of the referral requests that now sat in three neat piles on her desk. She barely glanced up when House pushed his way through the heavy glass door that led directly to his office. He hadn't been gone nearly long enough for one of Cuddy's famous budget meetings. A small smile curled on her lips as she could only think of what it was that caused him to be ejected so early.

"Good meeting?" she called out through the glass wall separating her desk from his space. "Works every time" he quickly replied while stopping long enough to switch on the television before plunking his long frame down in his desk chair.

"Where's Chase?" he asked over the familiar soap opera theme music.

Cameron took her glasses off and pushed herself away from her desk. She walked over and stood casually in the door jamb just inside his office. "In Radiology getting that contrast MRI on Mr. Marindino" she answered back gently almost too low for him to make out that she had really spoken at all.

House lifted his gaze from the television and eyed her intently. She never quite got used to those eyes, she thought, boring into her as if trying to read her most locked away thoughts. Subconsciously, she pulled her arms over to cross her chest.

She looked pale and tired, he thought. He would throw the description of thin into that list, but she always looked thin- did she ever eat? Her eyes were red and he could just make out the beginnings of small, dark circles underneath them. He also noticed that she was just close enough for him to smell her perfume. God, the way she smelled was intoxicating. Instinctively he shook his gaze away from her, reaching for the pill bottle in his jacket pocket while casting his eyes back toward the television.

"Well, when you see Chase, tell him he's got two more clinic hours to do this week" House blurted out without even taking his eyes off the screen.

"So what _did_ you do? No, let me guess….leering at her breasts followed by witty sexual banter capped off with some snide comment about your suspicion of her true gender".

"Love to share it with you, but can't. It's all right there in your employment contract. You should really peruse over that one day. You'd be a-mazed at the things I'm allowed to get away with". House lobbed back.

Cameron threw her head back slightly and let a soft laugh roll out before she turned and walked towards the door and then into the hallway. She was completely unaware of the brilliantly blue eyes following her every move.

"Great. What the hell did I do?" Chase shot back at her as he closed the glass door to Mr. Marindino's room behind him. The fifty-five year old man had been brought in the previous night suffering from debilitating migraines, back pain and two episodes of loss of consciousness at his work. He was stable, but after running a myriad of all the usual tests, they still were nowhere near a diagnosis.

"Well, my guess would be that House earned those extra hours for being kicked out of Cuddy's meeting this morning" Cameron replied shrugging her shoulders and looking just a little sorry for Chase.

Engaged in his thoughts on what a bastard House was, Chase walked right by Dr. Wilson who was just now making his way back up to his office from the meeting. Cameron slowed her pace to say hello.

"Dr. Wilson?" Her voice was tenuous at best. Somehow she had managed to move to stand directly in his path, abruptly grinding his gait to a halt. "Do you have a minute? I was wondering if I could talk to you- confidentially" she could hear herself blurt out at the last second.

Shifting his folders and coffee mug, James Wilson took in a small breath while turning his free right wrist over to glance at his watch and then letting his eyes search up towards the bank of elevators.

"I'm heading back to my office and have a patient in about 20 minutes, but yeah. You want to talk there?" he asked looking for the first time into Cameron's big smoky blue colored eyes. She nodded silently and realizing the object of his penetrating gaze, she lowered her eyes downwards and quickly mumbled "I'll meet you there".

Cameron hung back in the elevator for a second or two after the doors had slid open on the fourth floor to make sure House wasn't anywhere in plain sight. As bored as he was by their current cases, the last thing she needed was House poking his nose into this.

After assuring herself that he was well ensconced in his office, she made her way quickly to Dr. Wilson's office door and let herself in.

To her relief, the blinds to the window directly facing the balcony were partially drawn. Looking around, she was quick to see that Wilson's office was neat and dark. Two large, comfortable chairs sat opposite his beautiful wood desk. Tissue boxes were strategically placed at various spots in the office- never quite too far from any one place someone might sit.

Suddenly, a wave of indecision swept over her. Cameron could feel she was beginning to clench and stiffen up. What seemed like a good idea a few minutes ago now began to unravel on her very quickly.

Dr. Wilson pushed open the door just as she started to turn on her heel and make a break for it. "Sorry. That was a long meeting. At least House managed to get out of there sooner" he said sheepishly and then turned to her, offering her a seat with a sweeping motion of his hand.

"I'm sorry; I know you're busy. We can do this another time" she said and sprang back to her feet from the chair she had just come to settle into. "Cameron, please. It's fine. So, what's up?" he asked, noticing for the first time how anxious she appeared.

"I need… I mean, I was hoping I could get your advice" she stammered. "Oh-kay, he dragged the word out. Shoot". Cameron moved towards the edge of the ample chair.

"Normally I would never think to ask you this, but we've been so busy lately. And, with Foreman not being back up to speed enough to be here full time – well, there's been no time to get away from the office. House wouldn't even let me take a couple of hours last week to get my Father a birthday present". Wilson's eyes looked lost. She was babbling and tried to refocus.

"So, anyway two months ago, I found two lumps in my breast. My right breast" she managed to get out just before slumping towards the back of the chair.

"I wanted to go through another menstrual cycle before I hit the panic button. One lump appears to have had no measurable increase in size, but the other clearly has. There's also less mobility with the larger lump. It's probably nothing, I know". Cameron could feel her blood rise up like heat and spread across her chest and neck.

She looked up at Wilson's blank stare. "Have you mentioned this to anyone? I mean, I assume you haven't said anything to House?" Wilson managed, finally moved passed disbelief of the words coming out of her mouth enough to reply.

"Considering how well he treated me during my HIV exposure, I don't think I want to go there again. That's something I definitely couldn't deal with". She said quietly, almost regretfully while she picked at the hem of her skirt.

Wilson couldn't help but stare at her in silence. God, she was lovely. Everything about her made him want to just scoop her up into his arms and ease away all her fears. He cringed at the decadence and the danger of the thought.

He couldn't imagine what it was that kept House walled off from the possibility of a relationship with her. She was strikingly beautiful, intelligent, and funny and was obviously capable of sticking around long enough to put up House's crap and whether he wanted to admit it or not, House was definitely attracted to her. Wilson shook his head slowly and decided he would never understand his friend. It seemed like love wasted.

"Cameron… Allison", he stammered. "I know this must be overwhelming, but try to keep in mind that most cysts are completely benign. The odds are in your favor, you know that. You're young; you're otherwise in good health. Is there any history of this in the maternal side of your family?" he asked, holding his breath.

Swallowing hard, Allison managed to tell him that she remembered her mother's sister had a double mastectomy when Allison was ten, maybe twelve years old. Thankfully, she survived and went on to live a normal life. Her aunt would have been about Allison's age now when she got sick- maybe a few years older if any.

"Let's do this…" Wilson started to tell her with all the professional and personal empathy and compassion he could find for his young friend. "I'll call my nurse and get her to set up an exam. Allison, if you're comfortable with me looking at you I can see about trying to get something set up in the next twenty four hours. If anything looks suspicious, I can do a biopsy also. If you would prefer someone else, I can make a few calls and see where I can get you in".

"No, I wouldn't be able to get away long enough to see anyone else" she replied quietly.

"Ok, well then let me see what I can set up. Think you can do it tonight or tomorrow?"

Allison closed her eyes briefly and nodded. She had to get this behind her and get on with things. "And, whatever you do Dr. Wilson, I don't want House to find out about this" she said, almost desperate in her request.

Wilson studied her face before settling in on her eyes. "You have my word".

From his stealthy place behind the tall potted tree on the balcony, House could see somewhat directly into Wilson's office. The blinds were half closed, making it annoyingly difficult to see exactly who the poor bastard was at the receiving end of the bad news today. A slight smile emerged from the corner of House's mouth as he thought about his friend Wilson. "What a guy" House said, half laughing as he pulled the foil seal off of his pudding, throwing it in the brick flowerbed.

If there was one thing he had learned about James Wilson over the last decade of knowing him, it was his impeccable gift of empathy. And, even from this vantage point, House could see that Jimmy was pulling out all the stops.

"There's the shoulder pat", House ticked off in his brain as he watched Wilson lean in and rest his hand gently on the shoulder of what clearly looked now to be a woman. He was halfway done with his pudding and had begun to lick the spoon front to back in order to get every possible bit of chocolate.

"This brings us to the crying, cue reaching for the tissues as he throws in a hand squeeze –with two pats- for good measure and he closes with the … ". The words froze on House's tongue. His plastic spoon served with the same frozen fate as it stalled inches from his open mouth. Completely forgetting that he was skulking, he moved towards the brick divider that separated his office from Wilson's.

House's pulse sped up and he felt his heart beat loudly in his ears. Cameron and Wilson were both standing now, facing the door to the hallway. She reached up and gave Wilson a hug which appeared to take Wilson by surprise. He watched as the small, polite pats by Wilson left on her back turned in to medium sized circles with his hand over her back and shoulder blade.

What the hell was she doing in there? And why was Wilson man-handling his Fellow? His mind raced trying to think of something he had done that would have sent her running to Wilson for consolation.

But, then something else started to gnaw away at his brain. It made the muscles of his stomach twist and pull tightly while the muscle in his jaw began to flex. House could feel the wave of jealousy start to rise and then wash over his thoughts.

"God damn it", he thought to himself as he threw his back and shoulders up against the hard brick wall of the building. The last thing in the world he needed right now was to be distracted any more by Allison Cameron. In the last few months, it had been getting harder and harder to resist the urges he so desperately wanted to act upon. Defiantly, he crushed the plastic pudding cup with his hand and stormed back inside his office.

Ten minutes later, Cameron made her way back to the office. She could see House was in his good chair listening to his iPod.

"Find Chase?" he called out, pulling one ear bud out of his ear. She was startled by the deep, rich tone of his voice and moved quickly to the safety of her computer. "Oh, um yes. He's all up to speed" was all she could manage to get off her tongue.

His lack of response made Cameron think House had simply returned to his music, completely ignorant of the bombshell she just dropped in Wilson's lap minutes earlier. She had no sooner congratulated herself with getting away with it when she heard the distinctive thump, tap, thump tap as House made his way over to her desk.

"Lunch?" he said flatly. "What?" she said mulling over whether she had in the shock of the moment interpreted his question in the correct context that it was meant.

"Foreman and Chase. Are they at lunch?" he drew out the last four words as if she was hard of hearing. "Ah, lunch, yes. Chase is. I think Foreman's still in Rehab" she smiled nervously back at him.

"Hungry?" he bantered back. Frozen, almost unable to look up at House, she stuttered "Sorry, what?"

House rolled his eyes mockingly. "Gosh, this is fun. I could do this all day if I didn't have to go save a life of something". Then he asked forcibly, "Have you eaten?" Cameron slowly shook her head no. "Well, go get some food. And, while you're grabbing one of your delicious plates of bunny food, pick me up a Rueben". He pulled a ten dollar bill out from his right corner jean pocket and dropped it in front of her hands on the desk. "And if you see Chase and Foreman tell them to get their asses back here. These cases aren't going to solve themselves".

Cameron wasn't sure what startled her more- the actual money from House's pocket that was lying on her desk blotter or that he had actually taken time to notice she hadn't eaten yet today. She decided it was a safer plan to just grab the money and head to the cafeteria than to expend anymore time trying to figure out House.


	2. Chapter 2

The phone rang at Cameron's desk shaking her out of a dull fog. She'd been re-reading the same journal page on neuromuscular disease for over ten minutes. Grateful for the distraction, she quickly picked up the phone.

"It's all set up", she heard Wilson's voice on the other end say as she tossed the dregs of her salad into the trash can by her desk. "I'll need you to catch up with me sometime today in the Oncology Lab for blood work. The earlier you can do it, the better. Page me or call on my cell when you think you can get away and I'll meet you there".

Cameron shifted nervously in her chair trying to give the appearance she was deeply engrossed in the conversation the caller on the other end of the line was engaging her in.

Wilson continued, "And then tonight, meet me down in the clinic, exam room one at 7:15. My nurse, Linda will be there to get you settled and then we'll check you out and do a biopsy if necessary".

"I think House mentioned that all of your cases are ongoing but none critical, right?"

Cameron felt like a teenager trying to set up a late night escape from her parent's house. "Yes, that's correct. There shouldn't be a problem with that".

"Well", Wilson said, "I doubt very seriously House will still be in the building that late-voluntarily. Page me this afternoon."

"Thank you for the information. I appreciate you calling back so quickly" she said overtop of the dial tone and hung up.

Over in his office, House had stopped bouncing his red and grey ball and held it up close to his jaw. "Interesting", he thought out loud.

Cameron spent the next couple of hours shuttling between the clinic to relieve Chase and the rooms of two of their three patients. Foreman had gotten out of his rehab around lunchtime and had jumped right in to help. He'd all but taken over the third patient, who after finally being diagnosed with Lupus, seemed to be stabilizing and was responding well to their treatments.

"One down, two to go", she said to herself. Glancing at her watch, she wondered if this was a good time to run to the Oncology lab for her blood work. She walked over to the nurse's station, picked up the phone on the desk and dialed in Wilson's pager number and then the nurse's desk extension and waited.

"Cameron!" House's voice bellowed from down the hallway. "Why aren't you with Lupus guy, Mr. Marinara?" he asked somewhat annoyed.

"Foreman's with _Mr. Greenwood, _the Lupus 'guy', now", she managed to get out, as if she was explaining the information to an older person suffering from senility. "Mr. _Marindino_" she continued, handing him the patient's chart, _"_has the migraines- and I just checked on him ten minutes ago".

"They're also short staffed in the clinic today, so Chase is still down there helping out as a result of pulling your duty". She no sooner got the words out of her mouth before the desk phone rang loudly, causing her to jump. She froze and stared at it intently, as if to will it to be quiet by her thoughts alone.

On the third ring, House looked up from the chart he was pretending to be giving a crap about and took a quick sweep around the nurse's station. "No nurses", he said flatly. "Please, God answer that".

"Fourth floor nurse's station, this is Dr. Cameron", she said looking back towards House who was now giving her his best pained look.

"Hey. You're paging me, so I'm assuming you're on your way to the lab?" Wilson's voice was polite, but sounded a bit rushed. "Um, yes" she said awkwardly. "I think I can do that".

"Good, see you in five" and his voice was gone causing her to rattle off a fake 'thanks and goodbye'.

"That was the lab", she said as she quickly picked up her charts from the desk. "They have a couple questions", she threw out only to see that House wasn't the least bit interested. And with that, she turned and was gone.

This time, House's eyes weren't glued to her form as she slowly walked away, but instead focused squarely on the display screen of the phone. **Caller: James Wilson/Oncology x4617**, it read before it faded off the screen.

House couldn't take his eyes of the screen of the now blank phone. Biting at the inside of his lower lip he thought, "Why would she lie about the lab being on the phone? And what's with her and Wilson today?" It wasn't his birthday, so that ruled out clandestine meetings about a surprise party. And as if House had suddenly overruled all other plausible theories, he threw the patient chart over the counter onto the nurse's desk and quickly made his way to the elevators.

He'd almost made it before Cuddy cut him off just feet from the elevator. "House!" she bellowed.

"Love to chat, but I'm answering a page- Doctor stuff", he said brushing by her.

"Nice try, House. Want to explain to me why Chase is swamped downstairs covering for _your _assigned clinic duty?"

"Nope", he said as the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside.

"Well, humor me" she said, reaching out to interrupt the doors as they started to come back together. "Okay, if you must know", he said rolling his eyes. "It seems Chase has the hots for that suit you're wearing today", he said incredulously. "Apparently he's named it and everything. It's got him worked up into such frenzy, he practically begged me to switch with him in the clinic today".

A small curve of Cuddy's lips told House he had pulled it off. But as quickly as it had appeared, the smile was gone leaving only one mildly ticked off Cuddy in its place.

"House, go down to the clinic and relieve him – _now_", she said stabbing the 'L' button with her finger. "I don't think he's had lunch. We wouldn't want him to starve _and_ go blind", she winked mischievously at him as the doors slid closed.

House glanced down at his watch and then reached up to press the '4' button. "Chase can wait", he said to himself.

The elevator doors opened and House stepped out, turning right towards Wilson's office and Diagnostics. Wilson's door was closed, but unlocked. House's eyes quickly surveyed his friend's office.

On his desk, there was a half eaten sandwich lying on a perfectly folded piece of white paper towel. Next to that was an ugly generic metal fork obviously lifted from the cafeteria and a lime green Tupperware container. A crumpled up napkin had been tossed near the phone where a red light blinked quickly.

"Interrupted a perfectly good lunch", he said aloud and then reached over to grab the half eaten sandwich before turning to make his way back into the hallway.

Cameron had been sitting in the Oncology Lab for what seemed like forever. She watched as Dr. Wilson drew the last tube of blood and rubbed the reference label across it's now crimson exterior, before dropping it in the specimen tray alongside the others.

"Ok", he said as he slowly withdrew the butterfly needle and tubing, throwing them in the medical waste trash. He placed a cotton ball over the small speck of blood that had started to seep out and pulled her elbow up against her forearm. "You know the drill. Keep that there for a few minutes. Do you want a band-aid?"

Cameron smiled nervously. "No, it'll be fine. Thanks". She pushed herself out of her chair to go but wobbled a bit in her footing. "Whoa, careful", Wilson said gently as he reached out his hand to steady her.

"Sorry. Giving blood isn't one of my favorite things to do", she said as she felt herself grab onto the sleeve of his lab coat.

Wilson's left hand moved to her back as the other enveloped her in an open embrace. "Here, let's move back towards the chair", his voice was low and concerned. "Just relax", he said as he carefully lowered her frame back into the chair. Crouching down before her, his hands rested one on the chair, one on her arm. "Can I get you some water?"

"No, thank you. I'm sorry to be such a problem. I'm just um…." But she couldn't finish her thought before small tears began to drop from her eyelashes. Wilson's breath was ragged. He bit the inside of his bottom lip roughly as if debating with himself on how far he should go to console Allison Cameron.

"Hey", he said quietly as his right hand reached up to wipe away a lone tear that had made its way onto her cheek. "It's perfectly reasonable to feel upset about this, but you've got keep positive". "We're going to get through this, ok? I'm going to be right here for you, no matter what" and with that he reached down to place his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Come on", he said pulling her gently to her feet and guiding the small of her back with his hand. "Let's get out of here before House starts to get wise as to where you ran off to", Wilson said flashing a gentle smile.

The last bite of Wilson's sandwich lodged uncomfortably in House's throat as he stood in the small, dark nurse's alcove across from the door to the lab. "Ok, what the hell was all that about?" He thought to himself as he wiped crumbs with the back of his hand from his mouth.

Five minutes ago, he was a bored, nosey busybody hot on the trail of mysterious behavior, and now he stood frozen in the nurse's alcove, shell-shocked. "We're going to get through this…." Wilson's muffled voice rang in his thoughts as the image of his hand so gently touching Cameron's face burned across his brain.

How was it that in one morning, Wilson was flying through two bases of intimate contact with Cameron that House could barely allow himself to have in two years of his private thoughts?

"Can I help you with something, Doctor House?" one of the Oncology nurses dressed in a cheerful smock with some sort of cat theme pattern was standing beside him looking somewhat perplexed. He stared at the absurdity of the pictures of little cats tossing balls of colorful yarn around on her top, as if anyone dying from cancer would be comforted by that.

"No", he said gruffly and brushed past her. She stared for a moment at the back of the moody doctor. Her hand touched the fabric of her smock and she looked at it for a moment before shaking her head and turning to walk away.


	3. Chapter 3

Cameron glanced down at her watch. 6:10. Chase had left almost an hour ago, quite pissed off that he had spent almost the entire day in the clinic. House had just stopped into the lab on his way out to check on a few pending tests. The timing was perfect. She had just enough time to log the last lab results into her charts, check in on Foreman and then run back to the office for her things.

Almost an hour later, she turned her key in the large glass door of the clinic and pushed her way through. In the silence of the room, it made a loud clicking sound as it swung itself closed. The clinic was relatively dark except for a vague light coming from under the door of exam room one. Nervously, she straightened her jacket and flipped her hair off her shoulder. Just remember to breathe she tried to remind herself.

Linda was leaning against the corner of the exam table when Cameron opened the door. Wilson hadn't arrived yet but Linda walked towards her helping her with her satchel and coat, hanging them up on the hook on the back of the door. Cameron noted that she was a kind looking woman, maybe ten years older than she was. She was pretty, but somewhat plain. If she knew anything about Dr. Wilson's choice in women that worked for him, she was probably as nice and gentle as he was.

"Take off everything from the waist up, Dr. Cameron and put the gown on, ties towards the back and I'll be back in about five minutes with Dr. Wilson". Her voice was warm and caring and she gave Cameron's shoulder a light squeeze before slipping out the door.

Cameron undressed quickly and hopped up onto the table. She stared at her hands while her feet swung aimlessly over the side of the exam table. She'd been in this room a hundred times, she thought and never once did she think she'd be the one on this side of the table.

The light knock on the door made her jump even though she was anticipating it. Wilson stuck his head in while Linda followed behind on his heels – "all set?" he asked. His big brown eyes locked on her own as if to try and will her to relax.

"Cameron, I know this is awkward. So, if at any point you feel like you'd like to stop, just let me know".

Cameron nodded slightly and nervously ran her hands over her lap.

"Okay, then let's get started", Wilson said looking over at the nurse. She felt a pull of tightness in her throat and fought back a tear as Linda gently helped her lay back on the table. She tried to think of everything ordinary she possibly could. Her grocery list, the movies in her DVD collection- even tried to mentally balance her checkbook.

Wilson was talking softly now, his hands moving over her so gently she could barely tell what he was doing. Still, she couldn't look him in the eye, choosing rather to set her gaze off toward Linda instead.

"Allison", his voice was low and somber. "The size and posture of the larger cyst is a concern. I'm going to biopsy it along with the smaller one, just to be sure. Just relax for a minute or two".

Unable to get any words past her lips, she nodded at him instead. Wilson gestured towards the nurse who handed him two syringes. "Little bit of a pinch", he said softly.

The clear liquid from each injection burned little paths up her chest. "That really stings, doesn't it?" She said, as she held her breath waiting for the burning to stop.

"The area should be completely numbed in another minute", he said quietly. "You let me know if you feel any discomfort, all right?"

As if on cue, Linda wheeled the procedural tray over to his side and began cleaning the biopsy site with a sponge and betadine solution. Cameron could see her delicately begin to hand him various needles and collection dishes.

During each biopsy, she leaned close to Cameron, squeezing her hand and shoulder gently while she primed Cameron for what was about to happen. The tears flowed freely from Cameron's eyes now, falling onto the paper-like gown. She wanted to pick herself off of the table and run home. She couldn't remember when she last felt so alone.

"Ok, I'm all done, Allison. When you're ready, you can sit up slowly". Cameron nodded to Linda who gently helped to raise her to a sitting position and reposition her dressing gown. Wilson briefly turned away from her, pulling off his latex gloves before sitting down on the rolling chair to face her.

His face was relaxed and kind. A small, reassuring smile turned up the corner on one side of his mouth. His voice was flawless. "Considering your age and medical history, they're most likely fibroadenomas. I didn't feel anything at all in your lymph nodes. They seem to be contained to this one location. I should have the results back in a couple of days. I'll rush them through as much as possible. I know it's hard, but try to keep in mind that over 80 of biopsy results are benign".

"Do you have any questions?"

"No", she said weakly. "I'm ok".

"You should probably take a cab home rather than driving yourself. I can call one for you".

Cameron managed a weak nod and grabbed Wilson's hand as he started to push backwards on the chair. "Thank you. I really appreciate it". He covered her hand with his and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"No problem at all. I'm going to run these up to the lab while you're changing. When you're done, come on out and I'll wait with you for your cab." And with that, he closed the door gently behind him.

She winced in discomfort a bit as she slid her bra on over the band-aids and hooked it in the back. She swung her blouse over her shoulders and slid her arms through the sleeves. She'd managed to button three of the bottom buttons before there was loud bang at the door. "Just a minute, Dr. Wilson, please…." She started, but the door swung open before she could get the rest of the words or her blouse pulled together.

House slammed the door shut behind him as Cameron clutched at her gaping blouse. She turned her back slightly and fumbled with the remaining buttons. "House, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Looking back over her shoulder she could see that he was in a highly agitated state. His eyes were fixed on her, boring holes into her back.

"Where is he?" House demanded.

"House, what are you doing? What are you talking about? _Why_ are you here?" She felt as if she could no longer keep it together. Her mind reeled.

"Where is he, Cameron?" he barked again, this time so close to her face that she felt herself slip back a bit against the exam table. Tears sprang to her eyes and softly began to fall down her cheeks.

"Why are you shouting?" She'd abandoned trying to button her entire blouse after two attempts at buttoning it incorrectly and pulled it together with her fists instead. She eyed her jacket that still hung on the hook behind House and quickly dismissed the possibility of trying to retrieve it.

"You don't think I knew about your little meetings today? The phone calls too?" His eyes were cutting into her. The palm of his left hand flew up towards his forehead. "How can you be so gullible? He's married, Cameron".

"You're insane, you know that?" she shot back. "Is that what you think? That I'm having an affair with him? It's nice to know just how very little you think of me, House. And what if I was? You've made it quite clear my personal life is of no interest to you" She could hear the shaking in her own voice as well as feel her hands tremble with anger. She felt woozy but sitting down was obviously not an option.

"Get out of my way" she fired off at him. But he remained inches away from her face as if glued in the spot. The muscle in his cheek twitching with every angry breath he took in.

"Move!" she said through her clenched teeth. As she tried to push her way past him, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, bending her arm up and holding it against his chest. "You're not going anywhere" his voice was low and devoid of inflection.

She strained against his grip. "Let me go, House. This isn't what you think it is. You're making a fool of yourself".

"Oh, really Cameron? Well, why don't you fill me in then, or let's say we just wait for the good doctor Jimmy to pop back in? Hmm? Gosh, this will be fun!"

Cameron felt a warm sensation spread across the back of her neck and chest. Feeling a bit dizzy as she struggled to hold her footing, quietly she said "House, please. Don't do this".

House loosened his hold on her wrist but pulled her hand lower against his belly. They were standing less than an inch apart, close enough for Cameron to feel the heat pouring off of him. With his other hand, he laid his cane to rest against her hip and reached up to wipe tears off of her cheek. He pressed his lips to her hair, brushing her ear and the side of her face.

"I will kill him, do you understand?" His breath was ragged and hot, smelling faintly like alcohol and coffee and his voice rumbled low in her ear sending shivers down Cameron's spine. He pulled her forcibly back towards him gathering up the back of her loose blouse in his fist and began to place eager, greedy kisses over her lips and neck.

The knock on the door abruptly broke them apart. "Ok, Allison, are you ready….Oh, House. What are you doing here?" Wilson looked stunned but quickly seeing the tears on Cameron's face and the searing look in House's eyes, realized he had just interrupted something more serious. Suddenly, Wilson felt more than a bit unnerved.

House turned to fully face his friend, fists clenched. Before he could speak, Wilson saw Cameron move, grabbing House's bicep and pulling it back towards her. Her voice was low and surprisingly calm.

"We're _not_ having an affair; he was helping me with a consult- for myself". Her eyes searched his angry blue ones for some sort of connection of understanding.

Wilson pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "Jesus, House. Is that what you think we're doing? Well, this is a new low, even by your standards. You couldn't be more wrong, you know".

Wilson knew that last comment would probably cost him the receiving end of House's fist, but respecting his patient's privacy, refused to indulge him further.

Cameron's voice broke the icy stare between the two friends. "House, look at me. A couple of months ago I found two lumps in my breast. We've been so busy with new patients and having Foreman working part time, I couldn't get away to see my regular OB/GYN. I got nervous and I went to Wilson for help. That's it".

His eyes widened with both surprise and fear as he turned to look at her as if seeing her for the first time.

She reached her hand up gently pulling back the right corner of her blouse to reveal two large band-aids poking through the sheer lacy fabric of her bra. "Wilson performed the biopsy. _I_ made him promise me he wouldn't mention it to you. That's all that is going on here".


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n:** Ok, this is it for now. Please let me know if you like it or wish to see the story continued. Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought. I absolutely love to read them. Thanks so much

The three of them stood in silence for what seemed to Cameron to be forever. She was still holding onto House's arm, half squeezing it as if to hold her up, the other half as to force her to believe she wasn't dreaming it all. She felt drained and nauseated and desperately wished someone would say something so that would give her the excuse to leave the tiny room for fresher air.

"House." Wilson was the first to break the silence. "It's late, take Cameron home. She needs to lie down and rest. If you still want to pummel me afterwards, come over to my apartment and we'll settle it, but take her home".

As if the voice of reasoning had finally returned to him, House nodded slowly giving his friend a somewhat embarrassed glance. He reached over Wilson's shoulder and pulled Cameron's jacket and bag off of the hook. Making a small turn while limping, he moved to stand again before her.

His eyes moved quickly back and forth over hers. "Come on, let's get you home". His voice sounded tired and deflated with just a hint of being ashamed of what his actions had just been.

He held her coat up while she slowly slipped her arms inside. She winced once as he pulled the right side over to the center of her chest, causing his face to emote concern for her. He slipped the long strap of her bag across his chest and placed his left hand possessively around her back. House's voice was low, barely audible. "Wilson" he said turning to look at his dejected friend.

"It's ok, House. It's ok".

Cameron and House made their way through the darkened clinic and back into the warmly lit atrium of the hospital lobby. They walked in silence, he now holding onto the crook of her right elbow, until they reached her car. She threw her head back towards the direction of his bike. "I'm fine to drive, really. Don't leave your bike here all night".

House looked past her as if she hadn't uttered a word and stretched out his open hand. "Give me your keys".

She thought to herself that his eyes looked redder than the way hers felt. Cam…Allison". He said softly. "Please. I'm driving you home. Just let me do that." His left eye pinched together as he looked off and over the roof of her car before settling back full force into her gaze.

He picked up a long chestnut brown curl that fell softly over her shoulder and held it between his fingers. She felt like silk.

Smiling faintly, Cameron pulled her hand from her jacket pocket, passing the keys to him. He nodded slowly twice before guiding her towards the passenger door and carefully helping her to slide into the car.

Then she watched him as he awkwardly lowered his long frame into the seat next to her. He fumbled between his cramped legs looking for the release to slide the seat backwards. Placing the key in the ignition and turning the engine over, House looked over towards her before pulling out of the parking space. Her eyes were already closed.

Cameron spent the majority of the ride home with her head back against the headrest, her eyes tightly shut. Her head pounded from a heady combination of discomfort and tension. House's hand rested lightly on hers. After each pass through the gears, he would return his hand on top of hers and trace small circles on it with his thumb.

Her mind raced to recreate the events that had just taken place. How could one hour change her life so much? Or maybe it really hadn't. Maybe he would drop her off and tomorrow things would go back to being exactly the same as they had been just hours ago.

Before she had time to contemplate the possibility, the car slowed and pulled itself gently to a stop in her parking space. House killed the motor and turned his shoulder to face her.

Cameron turned her head towards him and opened her eyes. A small, tired smile curled on her lips. "Hey" she said staring into his eyes.

"Hey. How're you feeling? Think you can make it up the stairs yourself because I left my 'damsel in distress' rescue hero action leg at home".

"Ha. That's good", she smiled back to him. "No, I can make it just fine".

"Come on, let's get you inside". House pulled the key out of the ignition and released the door handle, turning on a little warm glow of light from her car. He was beside her door quickly, holding it open for her as he held out his left hand and pulling her to stand up beside him.

House reached in and pulled her bag out and gently closed the door behind her. They walked silently up to three steps to her front door and into the foyer before coming to rest at the foot of second floor stairwell. Cameron hesitated, staring up at the daunting climb and then back down towards House's leg.

"I can make it from here. You can take my car home if you'll pick me up in the morning", her voice was quiet in the cavernous foyer of the old house.

House looked at her with a second or two of indecision. He was sure at this moment she was the most beautiful he'd seen her look all day. Her hair was starting to come away from the barrette in the back and long, wavy strands fell loosely around her face.

Her cheeks were slightly puffy from the tears and her lips seemed fuller and pinker- most likely from the effect of razor stubble across their delicate surface.

"Mmmm, nope. Don't think I'll do that."

Cameron's heart sank. Her eyes floated downwards towards her shoes. "Right", she thought to herself. The ride home was about fifteen minutes, more than enough time for him to change his mind about everything. Now, that sounded more like the House she knew.

"Ok, well you can wait in my place while you call a cab. Otherwise you'll have to sleep on my couch" she threw in jokingly waiting for the witty retort he was going to hand her, no doubt.

"Great. Sounds like a plan" he bantered back.

Cameron's feet were frozen in the same spot as where House had once been standing. "What? What exactly sounds like a plan?" she called up to him as he began to ascend the stairway.

"Are you coming? Because seeing that I'm already halfway up, I'm not coming back down for you. Good, Lord woman. Would it have killed you to find a place with an elevator?"

Cameron's eyes followed House as he made his way to the first landing. "I think that's the least of your worries tonight", she said as a smile finally made its way across her lips.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: ** Sorry for the delay! Hopefully this chapter will help make up for it. More is coming. Thank you so much for the feedback. Please review- it really makes my day! Hope you like it.

By the time Cameron had finally made it to the top of the stairs, House was casually waiting for her. His back was pressed flat against the wall beside her door and his long legs were stretched out and crossed at the ankles. His cane twirled effortlessly over his long fingers. He smiled softly at her as he reached out his hand to pass her the keys.

For a moment, their eyes fixed on one another's before she slowly lowered her gaze and turned to unlock the deadbolt. She reached inside to the light switch on the wall by the door and flicked it on. In the bright light, House surveyed the room quickly. He'd only seen a glimpse of it the two times he'd come to ask her back to work during Vogler's reign of terror.

The room was bright from the buttery yellow color on the walls and very neat. He was surprised to see how sparse her furnishings were. A sofa, chair, coffee table and armoire took up most of the small living area. Impressive built-in bookcases held what appeared to contain a respectable collection of books. And tucked away in the corner by the only window in the room was her treadmill. There was absolutely no clutter to speak of. No knick knacks, no pictures of friends or family and no television that he could see.

Cameron switched on a table lamp and set her keys down in a dish on the coffee table. She watched him briefly as he took account of her personal possessions.

"You can set my bag down over there if you don't mind" she said, pointing to yet another bare spot by the door. "Thanks for carrying that" she said as she began to struggle in an effort to remove her jacket without causing herself too much discomfort.

"Wait, let me help you" he said as he stepped behind her, gently trying to remove the coat from her arms and shoulders. Cameron winced slightly as her right arm was finally freed from the sleeve of the jacket.

"You should probably take a couple of Motrin now. You're not going to feel any less pain in a few hours. Do you have much pain?"

"Just a bad headache" she said flatly "And a little discomfort. I'll go get some Motrin- make yourself comfortable. There are drinks in the fridge. I think there might be some beer in there, too".

"Whoa-whoa, whoa. Sit." he commanded with his eyes as well as his hands as he gently guided her to the sofa. "Where do you keep it- the Motrin?"

"Bathroom cabinet. Second door down the hall on the right" she said, grateful for the help. As the pounding in her head washed over her, she leaned her head back against the large cushion on the sofa. She hadn't eaten in hours even though she wasn't sure if she could. She knew half of the reason her head throbbed as badly as it did was due to an empty stomach. The other reason, as she looked down at her right breast, she hoped the Motrin would take care of quickly.

She could see the small white bottle in House's hand as he walked from the hall towards the kitchen. Obviously, he'd found it with no problems. Suddenly, she wondered just what embarrassingly personal things she had in her cabinet for him to see. Her mind ticked off the items from memory; tampons, Crest White Strips, a bottle of fake tan and her old diaphragm container. Nothing she couldn't live with, she thought and she closed her eyes tighter.

Cameron wasn't sure how long he'd been standing in front of her. "You're not already sleeping are you?" three tiny tablets rested in his outstretched hand. She smiled awkwardly before reaching to take the pills and pop them into her mouth.

He handed her the glass of water, waiting for her to take her fill before taking the glass back and setting it on the coffee table. "Those should help your headache soon. You need to eat though. Tell me what you have and then I'll tell you what I can't cook" he said lightly.

Cameron looked at him skeptically. The thought of him there in her apartment let alone cooking something in her kitchen was too much. "Well, there's some leftover tuna casserole and tossed salad in the refrigerator" she said as she looked up at House who was screwing up his face with disgust. "Ok, or there's a frozen pizza in the freezer, soup in the pantry and I think I should have enough cheese to make grilled cheese sandwiches".

"Soup it is!" he said definitively as he made his way back to the kitchen. "Got any peanut butter?"

"Ah, I think so. Pantry- second shelf".

"I do amazing things with peanut butter" he called back lightly.

Cameron shook her head as she tried to think what amazing things one could do with peanut butter besides peanut butter and jelly sandwiches- then quickly deciding she'd rather not know.

House worked quickly except for calling out every few minutes to ask Cameron where something was. About ten minutes later he made his way towards the living room with two steaming bowls of chicken vegetable soup.

"What no peanut butter? You didn't want a sandwich too?" she asked as he handed her the bowl with a spoon and napkin.

"That would involve multiple steps and I'm all about simplicity" he said sarcastically, lowering himself onto the cushion next to Cameron on the sofa.

"Slapping peanut butter and jelly between two slices of bread does not constitute multi-tasking" she said sarcastically back.

Not looking up from his soup, he said "Eh, tomato tomahto".

They ate silently until their bowls were empty. Surprisingly, Cameron ate more than she thought herself capable of doing. She could slowly feel relief from the vice- grip like pressure around her head.

"Come on, you should rest. It's after ten" House said as he took the empty bowl from her lap and helped her stand.

"Let me just get the dishes" she started.

House face made an annoyed expression at her comment and he rolled his eyes mockingly. "I'll get them in a minute, relax".

As they made their way down the hall, Cameron thought about the last time she walked there earlier that morning. The last thing she would ever have imagined would have been leading House to her bedroom only twelve hours or so later. She walked confidently through the dark bedroom to switch on a lamp that sat on top of a tall dresser. She stopped awkwardly before sitting down on the bed.

"This is weird, don't you think?" she said nervously.

"Weird or just unfamiliar?" he replied as he sat down on the bed beside her.

Cameron laughed softly. "Unfamiliar. Much better choice of words". She thought for a moment about what it was they were doing. "You know, you really don't have to stay. I'm feeling much better and I meant what I said about taking my car. You're welcome to…" she tried to get out before he cut her off abruptly.

"Why Dr. Cameron" he said, eyeing her intently. "All that time lusting after me and now you're kicking me out?"

Her eyes grew wide with embarrassment at the bluntness of his words. "No, no- you're welcome to stay- and it wasn't lusting" she said defensively at the end, "It was more like mildly pining".

"Is there a difference?" he said as he gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from her eyes.

"No, I guess not" she said softly, as she looked at her hair between his fingertips. "So you lied to me, huh?

"Lied? I never lie", he lied.

"When you said you didn't like me"

"Nope. I didn't like you", he lied again.

"But you do now?" she pressed.

"You're right. This _is_ weird" he said as his gaze shifted from her to random objects around the room.

"I've never had anyone stand up for my honor before" she giggled softly as a smile covered her face.

House rolled and then closed his eyes in embarrassment. And then, more seriously as her eyes locked onto his she said, "I think that was the most romantic thing that's ever happened to me".

His breath caught in his throat. His blue eyes bore deeply into her gaze.

"So, a man proposing to you on his death bed isn't romantic? Wow, you're hard to please" he said jokingly, trying to lighten the moment.

Cameron frowned at yet another reference to her dead husband.

"Sorry. What I meant to say is if that's the case, you need to get out more" he said somewhat apologetically.

"Yeah, that's exactly what you meant" she laughed. "So, got any ideas in mind?" she said impishly.

"Not tonight. Tonight, you sleep" he said patting the bed. "I'll let you get changed".

House levered himself from the bed and began to walk towards the bedroom door. "Hey" she called after him. "I think Foreman left a pair of sweatpants here. Look on the dryer just off the kitchen".

"What? Foreman, too?" he said incredulously.

Cameron rolled her eyes at him dramatically. "My apartment is the closest of all of ours to the hospital. Sometimes he takes a shower here or comes over to grab a quick nap on the couch when you make him pull a double at the last minute. You knew that. And, just so we're clear, we've never both been here at the same time".

"Well, that's a relief!" he said mockingly. "I was beginning to doubt the whole innocent widow thing".

Cameron smiled and rose from the bed to make her way to her dresser, pulling out a sleeveless lavender cotton nightgown. "My virtue remains intact, thanks to you" she smiled mischievously as she passed by him on her way to change in the bathroom.

Now alone in the room, House began to look around the bedroom with interest. It seemed much larger than the living room and he noticed there was enough room for two large dressers and a very comfortable looking reading chair and floor lamp. A huge four sectioned window with stained glass transoms took up most of one wall. In comparison, the bed seemed small in the room, but its delicate flowered iron turned head and footboard looked warm and very much like Cameron.

"No pictures" he thought aloud as he turned for the living room to collect the empty soup bowls.

Keeping loyal to his boasting rights that he had never loaded a dishwasher voluntarily in his adult life, House stacked the dirty bowls and glasses neatly in the sink. After opening a couple of wrong doors, he finally finds the washer and dryer and the blue sweatpants Foreman had left behind.

He slipped off his shoes and then pulled his button down shirt over his head before slipping off his jeans and putting on the sweats. He threw all his clothes in a small heap on top of the dryer and shut the door.

Cameron was halfway to the bedroom when he turned down the hallway. Her hair was loose and fell softly over her shoulders. With the light of the bedroom shining softly behind her, the thin material of her sleeveless nightgown became almost transparent. For the first time since leaving the hospital earlier that evening, House was rendered completely speechless.


	6. Chapter 6

After staring at one another for a few awkward moments, Cameron finally broke the silence. "I see you found the pants" she said lightly.

"Yep. Hopefully he won't be stopping by tonight to collect them. Boy, will he be surprised".

"I think you're safe" she said as a small laugh passed her lips. "Oh, I set a new toothbrush out for you in the bathroom and there are towels in the tall cabinet across from the sink if you want to shower or anything".

As if suddenly aware of his proximity, the object of his gaze and how little she was actually wearing, she awkwardly crossed her arms over her chest.

"You keep those for Forman and Chase too, or am I just that special?" he asked sarcastically.

"Actually, they're for when Dr. Cuddy sleeps over, but I had an extra" she said impishly.

Completely taken off guard by her glib remark, House's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "Ah, men are so easy" Cameron said as she mockingly rolled her eyes. "Go brush or whatever you need to do. I'm going to go lock up".

House quickly reorganized his thoughts. "Already did that and the dishes are …picked up, too" he said hoping she wouldn't actually doubt his word and go in the kitchen to double check. "Want anything when I come back? Water?"

Cameron shook her head lightly. "No, I'm good" she said, as he turned towards the direction of his valium bottle and finally the bathroom.

If he recalled correctly, he thought as he walked along the cool wooden floor of the hallway, his pills were in the jacket pocket of his blazer which he set on the back of one of the chairs in the kitchen. Finding it, he pulled the bottle out gingerly, throwing it up in the air slightly and catching it in his outstretched palm before making his way to the bathroom. The towels were exactly as Cameron had said they were, neatly stacked and incredibly soft. His towels hadn't been like that since Wilson got his own place.

House set the pill container down on the edge of the sink vanity and brushed his teeth. Even though he reminded himself the reason he was staying was to make sure she rested and to make up for his guilt, he decided at the last minute to jump in the shower. Suddenly, the idea of washing away the grime and smells of the hospital before lying next to Cameron seemed like a very good idea. A few minutes later he dried himself off, got back into the sweats and his t-shirt and made his way to Cameron's bedroom.

He found her sitting on the edge of her bed staring blankly at some imaginary spot on the floor. The only light in the room was the small lamp on the bed side table. It cast a warm buttery glow over her slender features. He sighed, tapping his cane lightly two times on the floor as if debating his next move. Slowly, he made his way over to her, sitting down next to her on the bed. His eyes roamed over her body before settling on her face.

"You're worried…about the biopsy?" he said, realizing it was half a statement and half a question.

"No. Yes. A little, I guess. Seems like all I ever do is wait for something bad to happen" she said, softly.

House continued to eye the side of her face intently. "What did Wilson say?" he asked gently, his eyes searching for a chance to lock onto hers.

"Probably just fibroadenomas, but one is larger and has changed size since I first noticed it, so he did biopsies on both of them just to make sure" she said, her face looking pale even in the warm light.

"But you're still worried"

Cameron shook her head softly. "No, it's just been a long day" she said as she turned to face him with a small smile.

"Come on, I'll tuck you in. But don't tell anyone. I wouldn't want the reputation of my immaculate bed side manner tarnished". His voice was sarcastic, but light as he pulled back the bed sheet and coverlet, letting Cameron swing her legs up onto the bed and slip in. He swallowed hard as the motion caused her hair to fall back off her shoulder, allowing her nightgown to gape in the front, revealing a well turned collar bone and the flawless skin of her cleavage.

He walked to the other side of the bed, placing his valium bottle on the nearby dresser before sitting down beside her on the bed. His back rested against the pillow lined headboard, his long legs stretched out on top of the coverlet alongside hers underneath. Carefully, he slipped his left arm around her shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze as she rested her head on his chest.

They sat there silently like that for quite some time. The only sound audible to Cameron was the deep, comforting thumping of his heartbeat against her ear. The only movement was his hand as it gently caressed the top of her bare arm. Awkwardly, House finally attempted to say something about moving to the sofa, but after getting no response he realized she'd already fallen fast asleep. He smiled slightly to himself as he placed a light kiss on the top of her head and carefully reached over to turn out the little lamp.

The morning sunlight poured through the old house's stained glass transoms creating a beautiful kaleidoscope like pattern of colors and shapes on the bare wood floor. House's eyes struggled to focus on the clock beside Cameron. At some point during the night, he had moved down from his sentinel spot against the headboard to stretch out alongside her. Still on top of the coverlet, he carefully rolled himself up off the bed, stiffly grabbing the valium bottle before reaching for his cane.

He looked back over his shoulder to see if the disturbance of their sleeping position had woken her. Assured that she was still fast asleep, he carefully began to make his way across the bedroom and to his clothes in the laundry room. The wood floor creaked slightly in the hallway but he pressed on, grabbing his pants and shoes from the top of the dryer before heading off to the bathroom to change.

A few minutes later, he stood at her kitchen counter scribbling a quick note on a drug company memo pad shaped like a giant round aspirin tablet. He ripped the paper from the gummy binding and set it underneath a coffee mug, positioning it so that it would be in plain view whenever she later made it into the kitchen. He hoped she was the type that actually made breakfast and coffee in the morning.

Grabbing his wallet and keys from the counter, he quickly shoved them into his front pant pocket of his jeans before debating whether to walk back to check on her. He quickly looked down at this watch. It was after six. She'd probably be waking up soon. Finally giving in to temptation, he hobbled back down the hallway to stand in the doorway of her bedroom. She still slept peacefully, although she had shifted her position slightly and her left arm now rested in the spot where he had recently been just a few minutes before.

He wasn't good at this, he quietly told himself. It was better to just catch a cab and head on home before work rather than having to spend an awkward domesticated hour eating pancakes and making small talk because it would be too rude to ask her where the television was. That part was familiar to him; the strange part was that when he really got down to it, he didn't want to leave. Pancakes actually sounded good to him- her pancakes. He even thought he could go an hour without the television. Well, maybe not a whole hour he corrected himself, as he sighed heavily.

He walked back past the note he'd left on the counter and pushed it closer to the edge, hoping to give it yet a more prominent spot in her line of vision upon walking into the room. His eyes quickly swept the room one last time before he slid the chain across the lock and threw the deadbolt, closing the locked door softly behind him.


End file.
